Large Impact Crater in Congo?

Friday, March 12, 2010 at 11:00 AM Bookmark and Share
The BBC reports a (potential) previously unrecognized large impact crater in the Congo.  Somewhat unfortunately, the new feature seems to have been revealed by the massive deforestation in the region in recent years.  More details can be found over on the Bad Astronomy Blog.

Figure 1: The new site in the Congo [Source].


The image of the area shown in the BBC page reminds me a lot of the Manicouagan Impact Crater in Quebec.  It's a striking feature from a few thousand feet up, with a diameter of around 60km - about twice the size of the Congo ring.

Figure 2:  Manicouagan Reservoir as seen from [Source: Google Earth]

You can learn more about these and other impact sites at the Earth Impact Database, and can explore them here, via google maps.

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